


solutions for inconveniently regular ailments

by maybepineapple



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Developing Relationship, M/M, Menstruation, Post-Time Skip, Pre-Time Skip, Sickfic, Trans Ferdinand von Aegir, Trans Male Character, betaed so i guess glenn lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:07:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25904062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maybepineapple/pseuds/maybepineapple
Summary: Three times Ferdinand had to deal with his body's biological processes throughout the years, aka three different reactions Hubert had to sick Ferdinand, aka ~relationship development~
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 3
Kudos: 81





	solutions for inconveniently regular ailments

**Imperial Year 1180**

Hubert walked briskly down the hall. While nearly anyone else would have been running, given the nature of the situation, Hubert was loath to ruin his cold, apathetic persona just because the professor thought it was a good idea to send him -- him, of all people! -- to fetch Ferdinand von Aegir. While the two of them had been on slightly better terms lately, which really meant that they hadn’t argued about anything in the past ten days, they were barely friends. More like acquaintances that tolerated each other most of the time.

The professor had sent Hubert to drag Ferdinand out of his room for a brief class mission in western Fargheus. According to Dorothea, Ferdinand hadn’t been at breakfast, nor had anyone seen him out of his room that morning. It was uncommon for Ferdinand to be late to anything. The man’s obsession with being the perfect noble usually motivated him to be punctual.

The students he encountered along the way to Ferdinand’s room quickly removed themselves from his path when they saw Hubert von Vestra, the Empire’s future Minister of the Imperial Household and rumored vampire, marching along with purpose in his steps and a fierce glower on his face. He was soon standing in front of Ferdinand’s door.

Hubert knocked, three short raps on wood. “Ferdinand! The professor is sending us on a mission to subdue a group of bandits in western Fargheus. All of our classmates and the professor are ready and are waiting for you. Hurry up. You are making us late,” he called impatiently.

When no answer came, he crossed his arms and waited, resisting the urge to incinerate the door to ashes. While he wanted nothing more than to leave immediately -- the idea of waiting outside of Ferdinand’s room like a glorified butler repulsed him -- the professor had advised him to wait to make sure that Ferdinand was coming. However, the longer he waited without a response from him, the more irritated he became.

Hubert raised his voice slightly this time. “Von Aegir! If you don’t answer at this moment I’ll incinerate your door,” he threatened waspishly. Honestly, how did Ferdinand take his supposedly noble self seriously if he couldn’t even be punctual?

Hubert was seriously about to bust down the door when he heard Ferdinand’s voice from inside the room.

“Go away, Hubert. Tell the professor I’m ill.”

Ferdinand did sound a little under the weather, his voice rough with sleep and slightly hoarse. He also sounded shockingly dismal. Hubert could not recall ever hearing the cheery noble sounding so miserable. He knew Ferdinand typically didn’t like missing missions and classes, as he often loudly proclaimed that not attending to one’s duties was unbecoming of a noble. It was odd that he seemed to be serious about not coming on this mission.

But, Hubert was also not about to let Ferdinand potentially get away with skipping an assignment. It would not reflect well on him, and as the future Imperial Prime Minister, anything that painted Ferdinand in a poor light would also affect Lady Edelgard’s image as well. It was up to him to determine whether or not Ferdinand was actually sick enough to miss a class outing. Making up his mind, he placed his hand on the doorknob, only mildly surprised to find the door unlocked.

Ferdinand’s room was dimly lit, but it was clear that it was a mess. Hubert wrinkled his nose at the books scattered around the room and the pile of clothing haphazardly shoved in a corner. The surface of the desk was filled with stacks of papers, a number of which were crumpled up. An inkwell had been left open and in danger of drying up, and there were a couple broken quills swept to the corner of the desk. For all his blathering about the virtues of nobility, Ferdinand was rather untidy.

Hubert did not initially see Ferdinand when he entered the room, and he only noticed him when movement from the bed caught his eye. Ferdinand was wrapped in multiple blankets in a nest of pillows and more blankets. He seemed to be struggling to untangle himself from his cocoon to face Hubert.

Ferdinand jolted when he realised that Hubert had crossed the room and was now standing next to his bed. He turned to face him, and Hubert startled when he saw how pale and drawn his face was. His face was twisted in an uncharacteristic frown, a far cry from his usual practiced smiles and self-confident smirks.

“You look awful.” Hubert spoke unthinkingly, and he immediately regretted it when Ferdinand’s face contorted into a scowl.

“Yes, well, I did tell you that I was ill,” he huffed. “Please go tell the professor I won’t be able to help during this week’s mission.” He grimaced suddenly and seemed to slump further into his nest of blankets. Turning away from Hubert, he said sullenly, “You’ve ascertained that I’m currently unfit to be in battle. You have no reason to stay, and it is likely as you said; the others are waiting.”

Hubert frowned. Although Ferdinand’s usual obnoxiousness and need to compete with Lady Edelgard grated on Hubert’s nerves, seeing him so morose and glum was disturbing. He imagined this was what he’d feel like if he ever saw Bernadetta willingly initiate social interaction with another human being.

It was no secret that Hubert despised Ferdinand. For all of his and Lady Edelgard’s extensive plans, Ferdinand remained a rather unpredictable variable. Would he stand with them when they declared war against the church? What about when they eventually got rid of his repulsive father? Or when they eventually broke down the nobility system he took such pride in?

While Hubert thought it would’ve been safer to just eliminate him before they even began carrying out their plan, Lady Edelgard was adamant that they keep him around for the time being. She’d reasoned that Ferdinand may be helpful in the future, if not as a member of their new society, then as a potential example of what would befall deviants. Hubert grudgingly conceded. He was nothing if not loyal to his lady.

“Do get better soon. It would not do for the future Imperial Prime Minister to succumb to disease before the age of 20,” Hubert said as he left Ferdinand’s room and closed the door behind him.

* * *

**Imperial Year 1185**

Ferdinand was miserable. Confined to his bed with only the company of his books and pillows and blankets while the rest of the Black Eagle Strike Force brainstormed potential strategies for their upcoming siege on Arianrhod was never his first choice of what to do on his weekly free days. Not to mention the way his insides seemed intent on aggressively rearranging themselves. He grimaced as another wave of pain washed over him. Stupid monthlies.

As he brushed his ridiculously long hair out of his face and pulled it through an elastic, a sudden pang of hunger reminded him of how he’d forgone both breakfast and lunch that day. He had tried to drag himself out of bed for breakfast that morning, but he had barely been able to stay on his feet long enough to pull on his uniform shirt before giving up and collapsing back onto his bed half dressed. After that, he hadn’t even attempted getting up for lunch. The only time he’d been able to leave his bed was to stumble across the room to grab a clean cloth to replace the one between his legs.

He wished he had some more warm tea to drink. Petra and Dorothea had stopped by hours ago and brought him a packet of an herbal tea meant to soothe his pain. As they brewed it for him, Petra explained that it was a mixture of herbs from Brigid that she used to get through her own monthlies. Ferdinand had thanked them profusely before they left. The tea had helped for a bit, but by now it had long gone cold. Cold tea was far from his favorite.

While he had little appetite his stomach’s rather loud insistence that he eat something of substance reminded him of his body’s needs. Groaning, he stumbled out of bed, mentally preparing himself to make the undesirable trip down to the monastery’s dining hall to find sustenance.

Three sharp knocks on his door startled him. He was even more surprised when he heard Hubert’s voice outside.

“Ferdinand, are you awake?” Ferdinand almost could have laughed at how atypically timid he seemed had he not been struck with a sudden wave of dizziness that made him sit down heavily on the floor. He only groaned in response as he curled up against the side of his bed, completely abandoning any plans to leave the half meter radius around his bed.

The door opened suddenly and Hubert stepped in, taking in the mess of blankets and pillows on the bed and Ferdinand’s position on the floor.

“If you’re here to mock me for missing a war council, I’m really not in the mood right now.” Ferdinand stood unsteadily and took a deep breath. He didn’t think he could handle any of Hubert’s usual criticisms given the shaky state he was in.

Closing the door behind him, Hubert gestured to the tray he held in his hand. “I’m not here to ridicule you. I simply brought dinner.”

“Oh,” Ferdinand said dumbly. The tray was laden with his favorite foods, including a slice of saghert and cream and sizable portions of vegetable stir-fry and grilled herring. How did Hubert know his food preferences?

Hubert set the tray down on his nightstand next to the pot of tea from Dorothea and Petra. “If you are so set on knowing, we made little progress during the meeting.” When Ferdinand made no move to begin eating, he sighed and continued, “Amelie from the kitchen informed me that she has not seen you all day. Seeing as you typically greet her every time you visit the dining hall, I assumed it meant you hadn’t yet eaten today.”

Ferdinand huffed and collapsed back onto his bed. He wasn’t sure if Hubert had some sort of ulterior motive in bringing him food. While the two of them got along much better than they had when they were students at the academy, it was hard to forget Hubert’s specific skill set that made him adept at manipulation. He supposed it didn’t matter; his stomach was begging him to eat something. Grudgingly, Ferdinand took the proffered tray.

“I suppose I must thank you for the food. Did you guess at my preferred dishes or did you already know?” Ferdinand took a bite of the grilled herring, savoring the taste of fish and turnips.

“I remembered you mentioned liking sweet desserts when we took tea together a few weeks ago. Saghert and cream was what the dining hall had prepared.” Hubert stood rigidly against the wall. Ferdinand was tempted to laugh at how out of place he seemed in his room. “Amelie suggested the grilled herring and stir-fry.”

“Oh. I suppose that makes sense.” He took a bite of saghert and cream, marvelling at how the flavors of noa fruit, peach, and currant blended together. Five years into the war, he was still often amazed at how the dining hall staff was still able to make such good food despite occasional supply shortages and being responsible for feeding such a large army.

Hubert cleared his throat, drawing Ferdinand’s attention away from his food to him. “I suppose I’ll leave you to eat in peace.” He uncrossed his arms and headed towards the door.

However, he didn’t get very far before Ferdinand protested. “Wait, Hubert!” Ferdinand inwardly flinched at how desperate he sounded, but he was reluctant to be alone. He’d already spent most of the day by himself, and he craved social interaction. “At least make me some tea before you go!” He set his tray of food aside and stared pleadingly at the man hovering by his door.

Resigning himself to playing nurse for Ferdinand, Hubert turned back around and replied stiffly, “You have a pot right there.” He gestured to the pot of herbal tea on the nightstand.

“That tea is from hours ago. It’s long gone cold, and no one enjoys drinking cold tea.” Ferdinand winced. The ever present ache in his lower abdomen really had the audacity to get even worse. “It’s not even my preferred tea,” he added sullenly. “It’s an herbal tea.” He wrapped another blanket around himself and sulked.

Hubert couldn’t help thinking that Ferdinand was oddly adorable wrapped up in his mountain of blankets, pouting like a toddler. Of course, he hadn’t missed Ferdinand’s reaction to the rapidly worsening pain but was gracious enough to not mention it. He instead approached the teapot on the nightstand and began channeling a weak fire spell through his hands, weak enough that it was really more of a slight heat spell. Placing his hands on the teapot, he carefully warmed up the delicate ceramic and the tea inside.

Ferdinand watched Hubert heat up the tea. “That’s a handy trick you’ve got there,” he murmured, suddenly tired.

“It is rather useful at times.” Satisfied that the pot was sufficiently warm, Hubert poured the tea out into a cup and handed it to Ferdinand. “May I ask what it is that ails you?”

Ferdinand took a long sip before responding. “You haven’t guessed?” He grimaced. “I would’ve guessed your proximity to Edelgard would have clued you in.” He finished the tea and handed the cup back to Hubert. Closing his eyes, Ferdinand sighed and buried himself further in his blankets.

Hubert poured another cup of tea, but instead of giving it to Ferdinand, he brought it up to his nose. Ferdinand had said that it was an herbal tea, so it was likely some sort of blend that would help whatever sickness with which he was afflicted. It didn’t quite smell like any common herbs he knew were in common herbal teas, but it was oddly familiar. He swished it around the cup. What did Ferdinand mean by his proximity to Lady Edelgard? He sniffed at it again, and-- oh.

He remembered brewing a tea of the same scent for Lady Edelgard a few months ago for a particularly rough visitation from her monthlies. She’d said that it had been given to her by Petra. He glanced at Ferdinand hidden under the blankets. No wonder he was so miserable. Lady Edelgard was much the same every month, although it was rare for her to get this despondent.

Hubert nudged at the pile of blankets that was Ferdinand and handed him the cup of tea when he emerged. Ferdinand drained the cup within a couple minutes and handed it back to Hubert with a request for more.

Eyeing Hubert’s thoughtful expression, Ferdinand said wearily, “You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?” Without waiting for an answer, he went on, “You don’t seem as bothered as I thought you’d be.”

Hubert cocked an eyebrow. “Why would I be bothered by the knowledge that you have monthlies? You have no control over your body’s biological processes.”

Ferdinand wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he instead just sipped at his tea. He wasn’t sure why he was so surprised by Hubert’s nonchalant reaction. It was just such a far cry from the reactions of some of the people he’d told. Even though his father was now out of the picture, his cruel, belittling words were always in the back of Ferdinand’s mind. Ferdinand believed that the only reason the former Imperial Prime Minister had ended up begrudgingly allowing him to navigate society as a boy was so that he had a proper heir to the von Aegir name.

Setting the tea cup down on his nightstand, Ferdinand lay back onto his pillows and sighed. “It’s getting quite late, Hubert. I’m sure you have things to do other than play nurse for me. Thank you for bringing me dinner and warming up the tea.”

Hubert waved it off. “Think nothing of it. After all, you are a valuable member of the Black Eagle Strike Force. It was only natural to worry about you when Dorothea told me you were ill.”

Ferdinand's mood was suddenly slightly gloomier. Of course Hubert only sees me as useful to the war effort, he thought glumly. The worst part was that he wasn’t completely sure why he was so disappointed. It shouldn’t shock him that Hubert really only cared about how capable he was of serving Edelgard’s cause, as loyal to her as he was.

Despite his disappointment, Ferdinand mustered up a smile. “Typically, I would see guests to the door myself, but I’m afraid I’m a bit indisposed.”

“It’s nothing you should concern your noble self with.” Hubert paused as he opened the door. “Goodnight, Ferdinand,” he said softly.

“Goodnight, Hubert,” Ferdinand mumbled back.

Hubert closed the door behind him.

* * *

**Imperial Year 1188**

“That will be all for today,” Edelgard announced to her gathering of advisors, much to Hubert’s relief. “I expect to meet again in three days’ time.”

Hubert didn’t move from his seat on Edelgard’s right as her advisors filed out the room. He instead opted to haphazardly shuffle his papers into something resembling an orderly pile and chanced a glance over at Ferdinand.

His husband sat on Edelgard’s left, reading over what Hubert thought was a report from Aegir. While he did occasionally make trips to his family estate to visit his sisters or to conduct business, Ferdinand had lived primarily in Enbarr since the end of the war three years ago. Hubert couldn’t help but feel a sudden surge of fondness watching Ferdinand absentmindedly taking sips from his mug of tea.

“Ferdinand,” Edelgard said softly, interrupting Hubert’s train of thought, “you ought to be resting.”

“Relax, Edelgard. A little work never hurt anyone!” Ferdinand smiled at her, but both she and Hubert could see how tired he was. He’d been uncharacteristically quiet the entire day, and his fatigue was clear in the stiffness of his posture and the occasional blank stare at nothing.

Edelgard shook her head at him. “You look exhausted, Ferdinand.” She stood and pulled his papers away from him. Ignoring his protests, she continued sternly, “As your Emperor, I’m ordering you to go to bed. You’re no use to Fodlan if you’re going to work yourself into the ground.” She sighed. “As your friend, I know you’re perfectly capable of doing all your work. However, I will not have you potentially harming your own health if it can be avoided.” She grinned all of a sudden. “Plus, sending you to bed has the added benefit of also making Hubie here go to sleep, which we both know he desperately needs.”

Before either of them could respond, Edelgard pulled them both out of their seats and, linking their arms together, pushed them in the direction of the door. “I’m being completely serious. If I find out that either of you aren’t in bed by the end of the hour, I’m sending you on vacation to visit Petra and Dorothea in Brigid.”

“That’s hardly a punishment,” Ferdinand argued weakly as Hubert pulled him out the door. Edelgard just laughed as she gathered up all her papers.

“I always forget how strong Edie is,” Ferdinand sighed, rubbing his arm a little where Edelgard had hauled him out of his chair. What a sight they must’ve made, the Prime Minister leaning against the Minister of the Imperial Household as the two made their way down the hall towards their private quarters.

Hubert smirked even as he wrapped his arm around Ferdinand’s waist. “You had plenty of opportunities to see her wield Aymr during the war, you know.”

Ferdinand pouted up at his husband. “That’s not what I meant. She’s just so… small.”

“Don’t let her hear you say that. She may just break your kneecaps in retaliation.” Hubert’s grin only widened when Ferdinand’s scowl was grudgingly replaced by a sly smile.

“Don’t let her hear you imply that my kneecaps are the highest she can reach. She may just take your head off with Aymr,” Ferdinand retorted. He laughed when Hubert flicked at his ear.

Reaching their shared quarters, Hubert opened the door. “After you, Prime Minister,” he flourished with a slight bow.

Ferdinand snorted. “You flatter me, Minister.” Bypassing the small sitting room by the entrance, he went straight to the bedroom and collapsed on the bed.

Hubert followed behind, making sure to lock the door behind him. Other than the two of them, only Edelgard had the key to their personal quarters, ensuring that they would only be bothered if there truly was an emergency.

Ferdinand only got up at Hubert’s urging him to change into more comfortable clothing. He obliged, although his movements were already slower and sleep heavy. As soon as he was done, he burrowed under the blankets of their bed.

Hubert had just finished changing into his own pajamas when Ferdinand groaned. “Goddess, I forgot to change out the cloth!” He started to sit up, only to be pushed down by Hubert.

“I’ll do it; you lay back down,” Hubert said. Ferdinand relaxed back onto the bed, and he went into the adjacent washroom. A quick search of the cabinet yielded a clean cloth. Filling a small washbasin with water, he brought both back to Ferdinand.

Setting the basin down on the nightstand, he evaluated his options. Ferdinand mumbled weak protests when Hubert pulled the blankets off him. At his husband’s request, he pulled his pants off and splayed his legs to the sides slightly. Hubert quickly replaced the cloth in between his legs, dropping the one he had been wearing into the washbasin. He brought the basin to the washroom. Typically, he would have dealt with the bloody cloth right away, but seeing Ferdinand curled up in bed had suddenly made him tired as well. He instead just rinsed his hands with clean water and headed back to the bedroom.

Ferdinand was nearly half asleep when Hubert slipped into the bed next to him. Knowing it would soothe his husband, Hubert summoned a slight heat spell to his hand and placed it over Ferdinand’s lower abdomen. He propped his head up on his other arm and watched Ferdinand sigh contentedly. They lay together for a couple minutes.

Quiet moments like this hadn’t been possible during the war. They’d begun dating before it had ended, and much of their time had been spent planning their next attack against the Church, reading reports from their spies and agents, and even brainstorming strategies against Those Who Slither in the Dark that they didn’t reveal or use until after the main war with Rhea had ended. Hubert had spent much of his teenage years plotting away with Edelgard and anticipating her crusade against the Church. Even then, he’d thought that he would serve Edelgard as her right hand man for the rest of his life. He’d never anticipated falling in love with Ferdinand. He loved Edelgard like a sister, and he was fond of all the Black Eagles, but he was sure that his husband was the best thing to ever happen to him.

Hubert let the heat spell in his hand fizzle out. Ignoring Ferdinand’s quiet noises of displeasure, he pulled him close to his chest.

Ferdinand opened his eyes slightly. Hubert didn’t know what sort of overly fond and tender expression was on his face, but whatever it was made the man in his arms blush a red that clashed horribly with his copper hair.

“What are you thinking ‘bout?” Ferdinand murmured sleepily.

Hubert ran his fingers through his husband’s long hair and brushed it out of his face before answering truthfully. “Just about how you’re the best part of my life.”

Ferdinand reddened even more. Pressing his face against Hubert’s chest, he stammered with as much indignation as he could muster while half asleep, “You- you can’t just say things like that so casually!”

“Why not?” Hubert watched, amused, as Ferdinand’s ears turned an alarming shade of crimson. He wrapped his arms more tightly around him and yawned. “You should sleep before Edelgard kicks down our door and forces you to drink a sleeping draught.”

“She’ll make you drink it too,” Ferdinand said drowsily. His body relaxed against Hubert’s. “Love you,” he mumbled.

“I love you too, my dear.” Hubert pressed a kiss to the crown of Ferdinand’s head. Closing his eyes, he soon fell asleep warmed by both his husband’s body sprawled over him and the tenderness in his heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Of course my first fic on Ao3 would be Ferdibert haha
> 
> Comments and critiques are always welcome!
> 
> I also wanted to mention that I got the interpretation of saghert and cream (as a pie) from a tumblr blog called Meals To Believe In! They make meals from FE3H in real life, and while I don't know much about cooking, they're clearly skilled because WOW does their food look good! I highly recommend checking out their blog: https://mealstobelievein.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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